A reading from the book of Isaiah (55:10-11)
Thus says the Lord:
For as the rain and the snow come down from the sky
and do not return before watering the earth,
fertilising it and making it germinate
to provide seed for the sower and food to eat,
so it is with the word that goes forth from my mouth:
it does not return to me unfulfilled
or before carrying out my purpose
and achieving what it was sent to do.
This short saying comes towards the end of the chapters of the book of Isaiah (40-55) attributed to a prophet active in the Babylonian exile. This ‘Second Isaiah’ has often spoken about God’s powerful word, and maintained that God declares beforehand what is to come about (42:9). God is more powerful and more compassionate than the false gods of the nations, and the word of this God ‘stands firm for ever’ (40:8).
Psalm 34 (33) This psalm celebrates the God who hears and responds to prayer, especially the prayer of those in distress.
A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (6:7-15)
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In your prayers do not babble as gentiles do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray, then, like this:
‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we have forgiven our debtors.
And do not put us to the test, but save us from the Evil One.
‘For if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’
At the heart of the Sermon on the Mount we read Matthew’s version of the ‘Lord’s Prayer’. Jesus draws a contrast not with Jewish forms of prayer, which are in fact reflected here, but with the ‘babbling’ of the gentiles. Three petitions, concerning the name of God, the kingdom and the will of God, have us pray for the revelation of God’s glory. Then we are directed to seek three things. ‘Bread’ for today and tomorrow represents every physical need. Forgiveness is repeatedly a concern in the Sermon on the Mount, and throughout Matthew’s gospel, as in the parable of the unforgiving debtor (chapter 18). Finally, the Christian requests escape from the ‘test’, the time of trial (peirasmos), and deliverance from the Evil One (poneros). Christ’s prayer strengthens the will and feeds the heart as we journey towards God.
Identify each of the petitions in the Our Father, and pray them separately.
For those who struggle to call God ‘father’, we pray.